Pacers 96, Heat 83
INDIANAPOLIS -- Monta Ellis scored 24 points, and Paul George added 23, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 96-83 victory against the Miami Heat on Friday night.
It marks the ninth consecutive time Indiana (13-8) has beaten Miami (12-9) in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Chris Bosh had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who are 2-5 away from home. Dwayne Wade had 20 for Miami.
Ian Mahinmi had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana, and C.J. Miles scored 12.
A Rodney Stuckey layup gave the Pacers an 83-73 lead with 8:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. Ellis' 3-pointer with 5:46 on the clock pushed Indiana's advantage to 88-79.
Indiana closed the third quarter on a 17-6 run to lead 77-68 through 36 minutes. Two Ellis field goals, including a 3-pointer, and a Miles layup capped a 7-0 burst in the final minute of the period.
The Pacers outscored the Heat 30-20 in the third quarter, making 14 of 26 shots in the period.
George's 3-pointer off a long rebound with 6:52 left in the third quarter gave Indiana a brief 58-56 lead before Wade sank a baseline jumper to tie it at 58. Back to back baskets from George and one from Miles pushed the Pacers into a 66-62 lead with 3:06 left in the third period.
The Heat scored the first half's final four points to lead 48-47 through 24 minutes. Miami used a 12-3, second-quarter run to lead 39-31 with 5:14 remaining in the second quarter before an Ellis 3-pointer and seven free throws from George helped the Pacers take a brief 47-44 advantage.
Indiana was within striking distance after two quarters despite making only 14 of 43 first-half field goal attempts, including only 3 of 16 from 3-point range. The Pacers, however, were 16 of 16 from the free throw line before intermission, including 10 of 10 from George, who scored 12 first-half points.
Miami, which led 21-20 after the first quarter, got 14 points each from Bosh and Wade during the opening half. The Heat shot 50 percent in the opening half (22 of 44) but made 11 turnovers.
NOTES: Indiana played without F/C Myles Turner (fractured left thumb). ... F Lavoy Allen started in place of C.J. Miles for the Pacers. ... Miami entered Friday having lost two in a row, and the Pacers came in having lost three in a row, giving up at least 122 points in each of the three defeats ... The Heat entered averaging a league-leading 7.8 blocks per game, second in opponents' field-goal percentage and second in opponents' points per game ... Indiana came in ranked second in 3-point field-goal percentage and third in opponents' turnovers ... Before Friday night's game, the Pacers had beaten the Heat eight consecutive times in Bankers Life Fieldhouse ... Last season, Indiana won three of four meetings against Miami, losing only a two-point game in Miami ... The Heat are in a five-game sequence in which four are on the road.